Within the field of information technology, disaster recovery is often overlooked when designing systems and/or networks that may be needed after a disaster occurs. For example, the primary focus in the disaster recovery field has been in the area of providing back up for large computer systems and the network infrastructure that supports them, while less focus has been given to communication systems.
In disaster situations, such as tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes, many communication systems and much of the communications infrastructure (e.g., cell towers, telecommunication networking and switching systems, the electrical power grid, etc.) are wiped out. Such communication systems and/or infrastructure are critical to various public authorities/agencies to enable these authorities/agencies to continue to perform their jobs and maintain order after the disaster occurs. As a result, when a disaster occurs, various authorities/agencies are unable to effectively communicate and perform their jobs.
In addition, in the emergency communications industry, little to no attention has been given to protecting communication systems/infrastructure from the effects of Electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks. As a result, existing communication systems/infrastructure are vulnerable to EMP attacks. An EMP attack may involve nuclear or non-nuclear weapons which create a large electromagnetic pulse. Other causes of EMP may include solar eruptions, such as solar flares or coronal mass ejections (CME).